With You Are Not One of Us, Buildings advance Minneapolis’s great legacy of noise rock

RMurder City Devils, Buildings, Corey J. Brewer

Mon 5/22, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport, $27-$35, 17+

There’s just something about a noise-rock record from Minneapolis, like a bowl of gumbo from Baton Rouge. Forged among the pillars of the almighty Amphetamine Reptile imprint—and no doubt guided by a trail of dismembered Big Muff pedals—Buildings churn through noise rock loyal to their Twin Cities and North Dakota forefathers (Hammerhead, Godheadsilo, etc). The too-underappreciated trio’s newest, You Are Not One of Us (Gilead Media), stays the noise-rock course, anchored by a rhythm section that swoops and strikes down like a wrecking ball and pile driver working in tandem. Gnarly undercurrents of feedback from fraying guitar lines and crazed, blown-out vocals—though sometimes with a touch too much sass—are best represented on frenzied tracks like “Net Waste” and “Mother Nature,” while more, ahem, pensive tracks like “Pray for the Toilet” and “Creature” seethe and squirm thanks to thick, swirling bass lines and just enough breathing room between each measure. A long time coming, this is Buildings’ first full-length in over five years, and for noise-rock heads it deserves attention. The Murder City Devils’ Spencer Moody is going to try and swallow the mike while acting the maniac, you know this. Arrive a little early for something fresh. v